My Journey from Fatman to 140.6 Triathlete

Warrior Dash 5k 09-17-11

the basic premise is it is a 5kish running race… with obstacles. Including fire, mud, barricades, and other challenges. Each course is different but the general idea remains the same. This is not a race for “speed” but more for attacking your fears and short comings.

Getting outside your comfort zone is good for EVERYONE for personal development. This race really tests you in a variety of means. Some are terrified of fire. Some of the 15ft drops down a wet pole. Some climbing a 15ft barrier with nothing but a rope. And so on. In the end… this course is very doable for most, but you have to set aside your fear or else you are… well… screwed!

One of my fraternity brothers brought his son, I brought both my boys, and I met up with several folks from one of my tri clubs the Prairie Dogs. So there was a good 10+ of us at any given time. We got there early and settled in. Found a good place to park the kids while we raced – near the finish so they could watch.

We had an 11am start – which is just awesome. So used to these absurdly early start times the fact we could sleep in, drive up, and hang around for almost an hour before we started? Pure heaven.

Once again, I decide to run with a sword. Why? Because I can! fits with the theme too.

So, I won’t got into insane detail like I usually do. So let’s shorten it down to the highlights

1. We had to climb a TON of barriers. These always make me nervous because of my weight I’m never quite sure I can get over them…. check fear at the door, which I did, and I scurried up and over no problem. 15ft with a rope and slight incline, 15ft with a rope and foot holds straight up, 15ft of just boards straight up, and so on. Up and over was always a challenge for me, but I manged.

2. The fireman pole was…. rough. It was wet by the time I got there, so it certainly

3. The water sprays/put – eh, no biggy

4. The balancing on rope netting and so on was certainly a challenge and I didn’t get over very gracefully, but up and over I went!

5. the mud? No biggy

6. The crawling? no biggy

7. The fire? CAKE

8. the finish? BEER!

So all in all – good times. We hung out all afternoon and threw axes, ate turkey legs, enjoyed the music and activities (and drank beer!)

In closing… good times. Here is one of my favorite pictures from last year.

This is one, of the many reasons, I have chosen an active lifestyle. Not to WATCH stuff like this… but to DO them.